Users are increasingly relying on communications networks for entertainment, shopping, education, work and other areas of commerce. Users access entertainment appliances, such as televisions, to receive cable signals for viewing television shows and movies on demand. Users access the internet to exchange e-mail communications and access audio, video, multimedia and textual data. Delivering these various data services requires a communications infrastructure.
Delivering such services to multi-dwelling buildings and other multi-unit structures often requires individual communications media extending to each individual dwelling or unit. Utility services, such as telephone, power and cable TV often may provide wiring of a type that extends into each unit. For example, unshielded twisted pair wires may be used to deliver telephone services and digital subscriber line (DSL) internet communications. Coaxial cables may be used to provide television programming and broadband communications. Power lines may be used to deliver electrical power and broadband over power line (BPL) data services.
As the demand for high data-rate services of all kind increases, there is a need for efficient and effective ways of delivering these data services to users. The present invention addresses this need.